# HelixNotes vs balu

The clearest difference is update cadence: balu at fortnightly against HelixNotes's monthly. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

HelixNotes ships an update monthly, balu fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | HelixNotes | balu |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helixnotes/id6788490726/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **3** | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 20 MB | 30 MB |
| Requires iOS | **14.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Yuri Karamian](https://appshunter.io/developer/6788490728) | [blaumedia GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1832490554) |

## What reviewers say

### HelixNotes

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helixnotes/id6788490726)

A private, open-source Markdown note-taking app that keeps your data on your device. Organize notes with notebooks, tags, and wiki links, and utilize advanced features like mathematical notation and diagrams.

**Highlights:** Local Markdown storage, Visual and source code editor, Notebooks, tags, and wiki links, Task management and calendar views, KaTeX and Mermaid diagram support, Version history and backups, Optional WebDAV sync

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### balu

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/balu-private-todo-and-tasks/id6794310209)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is HelixNotes free?

HelixNotes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is balu free?

balu is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do HelixNotes or balu have ads?

Neither HelixNotes nor balu shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, HelixNotes or balu?

HelixNotes ships an update monthly, and balu fortnightly. Most recently, HelixNotes was updated on October 31, 2026 and balu on October 31, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*